 |
|
A Newtonian system that mimics the baldness of rotating black holes
February 24, 2009The rotating black hole has been described as one of nature's most perfect objects.
As described by the Kerr solution of Einstein's gravitational field equations, its spacetime geometry is completely characterized by only two numbers - mass and spin - and is sometimes described by the aphorism "black holes have no hair.''
A particle orbiting a rotating black hole always conserves its energy and angular momentum, but otherwise traces a complicated twisting rosette pattern with no discernible regularity.
But in 1968, theoretical physicist and cosmologist Brandon Carter showed that the particle's wild gyrations nevertheless hold another variable fixed, which was named the "Carter constant.'' The true meaning of Carter's constant still remains somewhat mysterious 40 years after its discovery.
Now Clifford M. Will, Ph.D., the James S. McDonnell Professor of Physics in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, has shown that, even in Newton's theory of gravitation, arrangements of masses exist whose gravitational field also admits a Carter-like constant of motion, in addition to energy and angular momentum.
What's more, the deviation of the field's shape from being spherical is determined by a set of equations that are identical to those for Kerr black holes.
In his article "Carter-like Constants of the Motion in Newtonian Gravity and Electrodynamics" in the Feb. 12 issue of Physical Review Letters, Will points out that one Newtonian system that exhibits this property is surprisingly simple: two equal point masses at rest separated by a fixed distance.
"I was completely stunned when I saw that the Newtonian condition for a Carter constant was identical to the condition imposed by the black hole no-hair theorems," said Will. "Do I know why this happens? So far, not a clue.
"But what I really hope is that insights gained about this strange constant in the simpler Newtonian context will teach us something about how small black holes orbit around rotating massive black holes in general relativity, where the relativistic Carter constant plays a key role."
This will have implications for gravitational-wave astronomy, he says, because the signal from such events may be detectable by the advanced LIGO-VIRGO-GEO network of ground-based laser interferometric detectors or by the proposed space-based LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna).
Will, who is also a visiting associate at the Institute of Astrophysics in Paris, is a theoretical physicist whose research interests encompass the observational and astrophysical implications of Einstein's general theory of relativity, including gravitational radiation, black holes, cosmology, the physics of curved spacetime and the interpretation of experimental tests of general relativity.
Will's "Was Einstein Right?" (1986) won the American Institute of Physics Science Writing Award. His "Theory and Experiment in Gravitational Physics" (1981) is considered the bible of the field.
His research was supported in part by the National Science Foundation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Programme Internationale de la Cooperation Scientifique.
Washington University in St. Louis
But in 1968, theoretical physicist and cosmologist Brandon Carter showed that the particle's wild gyrations nevertheless hold another variable fixed, which was named the "Carter constant.'' The true meaning of Carter's constant still remains somewhat mysterious 40 years after its discovery.
Now Clifford M. Will, Ph.D., the James S. McDonnell Professor of Physics in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, has shown that, even in Newton's theory of gravitation, arrangements of masses exist whose gravitational field also admits a Carter-like constant of motion, in addition to energy and angular momentum.
What's more, the deviation of the field's shape from being spherical is determined by a set of equations that are identical to those for Kerr black holes.
In his article "Carter-like Constants of the Motion in Newtonian Gravity and Electrodynamics" in the Feb. 12 issue of Physical Review Letters, Will points out that one Newtonian system that exhibits this property is surprisingly simple: two equal point masses at rest separated by a fixed distance.
"I was completely stunned when I saw that the Newtonian condition for a Carter constant was identical to the condition imposed by the black hole no-hair theorems," said Will. "Do I know why this happens? So far, not a clue.
"But what I really hope is that insights gained about this strange constant in the simpler Newtonian context will teach us something about how small black holes orbit around rotating massive black holes in general relativity, where the relativistic Carter constant plays a key role."
This will have implications for gravitational-wave astronomy, he says, because the signal from such events may be detectable by the advanced LIGO-VIRGO-GEO network of ground-based laser interferometric detectors or by the proposed space-based LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna).
Will, who is also a visiting associate at the Institute of Astrophysics in Paris, is a theoretical physicist whose research interests encompass the observational and astrophysical implications of Einstein's general theory of relativity, including gravitational radiation, black holes, cosmology, the physics of curved spacetime and the interpretation of experimental tests of general relativity.
Will's "Was Einstein Right?" (1986) won the American Institute of Physics Science Writing Award. His "Theory and Experiment in Gravitational Physics" (1981) is considered the bible of the field.
His research was supported in part by the National Science Foundation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Programme Internationale de la Cooperation Scientifique.
Washington University in St. Louis
Black Holes Current Events and Black Holes News RSSNew study confirms exotic electric properties of graphene
First, it was the soccer-ball-shaped molecules dubbed buckyballs. Then it was the cylindrically shaped nanotubes. Now, the hottest new material in physics and nanotechnology is graphene: a remarkably flat molecule made of carbon atoms arranged in hexagonal rings much like molecular chicken wire.
Swift XMM-Newton Satellites Tune Into a Middleweight Black Hole
While astronomers have studied lightweight and heavyweight black holes for decades, the evidence for black holes with intermediate masses has been much harder to come by.
NASA's Fermi Telescope Detects Gamma-Ray From
Nearby galaxies undergoing a furious pace of star formation also emit lots of gamma rays, say astronomers using NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope.
New Celestial Map Gives Directions for GPS
Many of us have been rescued from unfamiliar territory by directions from a Global Positioning System (GPS) navigator. GPS satellites send signals to a receiver in your GPS navigator, which calculates your position based on the location of the satellites and your distance from them.
Fermi telescope caps its first year with a glimpse of space-time
During its first year of operations, NASA's Fermi Gamma Ray Space Telescope mapped the extreme sky with unprecedented resolution and sensitivity.
New vista of Milky Way center unveiled
A dramatic new vista of the center of the Milky Way galaxy from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory exposes new levels of the complexity and intrigue in the Galactic center.
Invading black holes explain cosmic flashes
Black holes are invading stars, providing a radical explanation to bright flashes in the universe that are one of the biggest mysteries in astronomy today.
Swift Makes Best-ever Ultraviolet Portrait of Andromeda Galaxy
In a break from its usual task of searching for distant cosmic explosions, NASA's Swift satellite has acquired the highest-resolution view of a neighboring spiral galaxy ever attained in the ultraviolet.
Sophisticated telescope camera debuts with peek at nest of black holes
Less than two months after they inaugurated the world's largest telescope, University of Florida astronomers have used one of the world's most advanced telescopic instruments to gather images of the heavens.
COES professor's 'metamaterials' research lands cover of international journal
Dr. Dentcho Genov, an assistant professor of physics and electrical engineering at Louisiana Tech University and a Louisiana Optical Network Initiative (LONI) Institute fellow, is featured on the cover of the most recent issue of Nature Physics, one of the most respected and prestigious physics journals in the world.
More Black Holes Current Events and Black Holes News Articles
 |
Black Holes and Time Warps: Einstein's Outrageous Legacy (Commonwealth Fund Book Program) by Kip S. Thorne (Author), Stephen Hawking (Foreword) In this masterfully written and brilliantly informed work, Dr. Thorne, the Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics at Caltech, leads readers through an elegant, always human, tapestry of interlocking themes, answering the great question: what principles control our universe and why do physicists think they know what they know? Features an introduction by Stephen Hawking. |
 |
National Geographic: Monster Black Holes Starring: Michael Carroll Travel to the edge of space and beyond to discover natures ultimate abyss black holes. Explore where they are found, how they begin, and how it may be possible to harness and use the power they produce. In Monster Black Holes, scientists steadily piece together the complex dynamics of a black holes birth and are also examine the growth of a select few black holes to super massive proportions that dominate the centers of galaxies. As a monster black hole swallows everything in its path, it generates energy that shapes the universe around it in powerful ways. Journey into the heart of a black hole and explore what happens to matter when it falls into a black hole, and whether the Milky Way galaxy will one day come to an end when the black hole at the galaxys center explodes. |
 |
Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries by Neil deGrasse Tyson (Author) “One of today’s best popularizers of science.”—Kirkus Reviews Loyal readers of the monthly “Universe” essays in Natural History magazine have long recognized Neil deGrasse Tyson’s talent for guiding them through the mysteries of the cosmos with stunning clarity and childlike enthusiasm. Here Tyson compiles his favorite essays across a myriad of cosmic topics. The title essay introduces readers to the physics of black holes by explaining just what would happen to your body if you fell into one, while “Hollywood Nights” assails Hollywood’s feeble efforts to get its night skies right. Tyson is the world’s ... |
 |
Black Holes: And Other Bizarre Space Objects (Science Frontiers) by David Jefferis (Author) |
 |
The Black Hole Starring: Ernest Borgnine, Joseph Bottoms, Robert Forster, Roddy McDowall, Tommy McLoughlin Also With: Anthony Perkins (Primary Contributor), Maximilian Schell (Primary Contributor) THE CREW OF THE SPACESHIP PALAMINO STUMBLES ACROSS THE LOST SHIP USS CYGNUS HOVERING ON THE EDGE OF AN IMMENSE BLACK HOLE. ONCE ABOARD THEY FIND THE SHIP IS MANNED BY ROBOTS ITS ONLY HUMAN INHABITANT ONE DR HANS REINHARDT AN EMINENT SCIENTIST MISSING FOR THE PAST TWENTY YEARS. |
 |
The Black Hole War: My Battle with Stephen Hawking to Make the World Safe for Quantum Mechanics by Leonard Susskind (Author) At the beginning of the 21st century, physics is being driven to very unfamiliar territory--the domain of the incredibly small and the incredibly heavy. The new world is a world in which both quantum mechanics and gravity are equally important. But mysteries remain. One of the biggest involved black holes. Famed physicist Stephen Hawking claimed that anything sucked in a black hole was lost forever. For three decades, Leonard Susskind and Hawking clashed over the answer to this problem. Finally, in 2004, Hawking conceded. THE BLACK HOLE WAR will explain the mind-blowing science that finally won out, and the emergence of a new paradigm that argues the world--this catalog, your home, your breakfast, you--is actually a hologram projected from the edges of... |
 |
Exploring Black Holes: Introduction to General Relativity by Edwin F. Taylor (Author), John Archibald Wheeler (Author) Makes a quick, directed thrust through general relativity and black holes. Brings preliminary insights concerning the history and structure of the Cosmos. DLC: General relativity (Physics) |
 |
Black Holes and Revelations by Muse In 2004, U.K. favorite Muse broke through in the U.S. with Absolution and major performances across America that won legions of new fans. In 2006, Muse takes a bold new step with Black Holes And Revelations, a powerful, upbeat epic album that takes the band’s music to a whole dimension. Once again co-produced by Rich Costey (Rage Against The Machine, Audioslave), Muse incorporates influences from electronica and Prince to pure pop. The album is sure to be a revelation to those still unfamiliar with the 2005 Brit award winner for Best Live Act who headlines this summer’s Reading and Leeds festivals. |
 |
An Introduction to Black Holes, Information And The String Theory Revolution: The Holographic Universe by Leonard Susskind (Author), James Lindesay (Author) Over the last decade the physics of black holes has been revolutionized by developments that grew out of Jacob Bekenstein’s realization that black holes have entropy. Steven Hawking raised profound issues concerning the loss of information in black hole evaporation and the consistency of quantum mechanics in a world with gravity. For two decades these questions puzzled theoretical physicists and eventually led to a revolution in the way we think about space, time, matter and information. This revolution has culminated in a remarkable principle called "The Holographic Principle", which is now a major focus of attention in gravitational research, quantum field theory and elementary particle physics. Leonard Susskind, one of the co-inventors of the Holographic Principle as well as one of... |
 |
Black Holes Directed By: Gregory Zorzos Also With: Gregory Zorzos (Producer), Gregory Zorzos (Writer) In general relativity, a black hole is a region of space in which the gravitational field is so powerful that nothing, not even light, can escape. In this movie you can see this phenomenon form many sources. This product is manufactured on demand using DVD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply. |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |